Nike develops soles for amputee blade runners

Nike has developed a removable rubber sole specifically for use
on the bottom of the carbon fibre running blades used by amputee
athletes.

Nike has been working with one-legged triathlete Sarah
Reinertsen to create the equivalent of a shoe that could be
used to give the blades additional grip. Reinertsen was born with a
bone-growth disorder which meant she became an above-the-knee
amputee at seven years old. She started to run shortly after the
amputation, breaking the 100-metre record for female above-the-knee
amputees at the age of 13. She now competes in marathons and triathlons using the Össur Flex-Run prosthetic carbon
fibre blade.

Reinertsen used to take the soles from traditional running shoes
and cobble them to her prosthetic leg. However, thanks to Nike's
work with orthopaedic experts Össur, she now has a sole dedicated
to her needs.

The Nike Sole
features a number of different layers and nine nylon plastic tabs
that wrap around the Flex-Run carbon fibre blade to keep it in
place. The sole slides over the blade and an additional stretch
rubber leash that extends from the sole and can be pulled over a
hook at the upper end of the blade's "foot" area to make sure that
the sole doesn't slide off during running.

The first prototype sole used by Reinertsen was made from the
outsole of a Nike Free 5.0 trainer, which was glued to a plastic sleeve that
slid onto the blade. Tobie
Hatfield, Nike's Innovation Director, worked closely with
Reinertsen to tweak the next round of prototypes based on her
feedback and by examining the wear on the sole unit.

The removable soles are available from prosthetic blade
suppliers. Check out the video embedded in this post to see the
Nike Sole in action.

Comments

Now all they got to do is develop shoes with removable soles so we can change worn soles without changing the whole damn shoe